Enough Already With the Quintana to the Yankees Talk

Jose Quintana to the Yankees has been a rumor all offseason and now into Spring Training that just won’t die. I really wish it would.

One would think there is plenty going on in Yankees camp — well, with the club still trying to decide the two starters that will round out the rotation — which Aaron will win the right field job — and of course, who will fill in for Didi Gregorius at shortstop for the next four to six weeks.

Yet, sportswriters galore continue to rehash why they feel the Yankees should acquire 28-year-old left-hander, Jose Quintana from the White Sox.

Following Clint Frazier‘s declaration that he is an “All-fields hitter,” George King III of the New York Post wrote:

"More than one talent evaluator suggested Frazier’s best value to the Yankees might be part of a deal that would land White Sox lefty Jose Quintana.More from Yankees NewsAaron Judge’s influence on Carlos Rodón shows he’s more powerful than YankeesYankees sign 2022 Red Sox reliever, invite him to spring trainingYankees trade Lucas Luetge for 2 intriguing Braves prospects after DFANever forget Miguel Andújar wrecked Yankees’ Nolan Arenado tradeDiamondbacks outfielder’s comment on Carlos Rodón’s IG raises eyebrows"

King’s column bases the assumption that because Frazier was immediately deemed a top-tier Yankees prospect following his arrival in the Andrew Miller deal — that he will be hard-pressed to smooth out his “rough edges” before he can contribute to the cause at the Major League level.

So the Yankees — which by all estimations, are still in the midst of a thorough rebuild (though it doesn’t mean they can’t contend for a playoff spot), should trade away a player, who is said to have a similar skill set to Mike Trout — because he isn’t ready NOW?

Frazier, 22, is the future lynchpin of the Yankees outfield. He, Dustin Fowler, Blake Rutherford, and Aaron Judge are just an assortment of the young potential, that general manager Brian Cashman has assembled to advance this organization into the next decade.

Trading for a shooter like Quintana, who has made 120 starts and thrown 800 plus innings since 2013 will cost a boatload of top Minor League talent. For his career, Quintana is 46-46 with a 3.41 ERA. But only once, has his team finished higher than 4th place in their division (2nd in 2012) — so we have no idea how well Quintana will pitch with the added pressure of being expected to win for a possible contender — especially in New York’s media spotlight.

There’s no doubting Quintana is an innings eater with a team friendly contract (4-years, $37.85M, includes two options), but if I were the Yanks, I’d stick to the plan, because there’s no way I’m trading a potential franchise cornerstone (plus other highly touted assets) for a guy who pitches once every five days.

Next: Just Name Wade the SS Already!

So can the Astros, Braves, Mets, Cardinals or anyone else for that matter, please make a trade with the White Sox for Quintana so that Yankees fans don’t have to hear about this tired topic anymore!